Namastey London

Just thought I will drop in

And say hello!

I am enjoying a lovely bright morning in London

And reading all the recommendations you have sent me

While the husband kickstarts the vacation by going for his third round of beauty sleep!

Leaving you with some beautiful images by Tobias Harvey

Hmm...am I missing India already? ;-)

You have a lovely weekend

And thanks for your suggestions and the many emails you have sent me

Have I told you lately,

That you are awesome!

Indian Haveli...

... in Tanzania

Evocative of the rich influence

Of travelers and traders from India, Arabia, Persia, Portugal 

And many more such wanderers

This is

236 Hurumzi

[All Images: 236 Hurumzi]

Post cards from Kenya

A chance encounter with Marie and Paul Pelle's Siani Plantation Estate in a travel magazine led me to these gorgeous properties in Lamu, Kenya. Lamu, an archipelago, has a  distinctive Swahili culture, the result of an intermingling over the centuries of many different influences – African, Arabian, Indian, Persian and European to name but a few – brought to Lamu by merchants, travellers, colonisers and conquerors. These influences show themselves to this day in Lamu’s religious and social traditions, architecture, furniture, cookery and many other aspects of daily life. 

Apart from these distinctive influence,  for me, these beautifully restored homes are yet another testimony to the magic created by simple, hand restored interiors...  

Niches or Aala's...a mughal/persian legacy

Window to the world..

Love the bedsteads and the floor..

Do read more on traditional Swahili architecture and the restoration process

Of kittens and roofs..

[All images Lamu Island Properties. Creative mosaic by moi]

Richa's home

When Richa Kapoor shared her home's pictures with me, I felt as if Mr. Blog has jumped off the blogger platform to live in a real home in California! Richa's home is like my blog's design dream come true. I absolutely love the eclectic combination of materials, forms, textures and colors from different parts of the world in her home. This home exudes a distinctive personality, and such warmth that I am in a good mind to join the crafty Mr. Blog for a personal visit to Richa's home :)

And this what Richa has to say about her design style and home:

I am an educator by profession but an artist in my fantasy life! My decor style (if i can claim any) is unrestrained ethnic! I say so 'cause I can rarely pass up an opportunity to acquire naive and folk art pieces - a roughly-hewn wooden bowl from West Africa or a fantastic-looking Oaxacan dragon find pride of place in my home. Though I  make these objets d' art work hard and rarely have pieces that are purely decorative. Lately I have become fond of postmodern pieces like kitschy, over-the-top platters and Andy Warhol pop art posters. Mostly, in putting together the home I share with my husband and our two daughters, I can say that I have tried to have fun!

Richa, thank you for sharing your gorgeous home with us!

Craftmark - Hand made in India

Have you been searching high and low for crafts from India that are traditional yet innovative, exquisite yet sustainable, competitively priced yet follow fair trade practices? Well, look no further. For Craftmark is here. Just for you.  

Leveraging Craftmark as a brand, the All India Artisans & Craftworkers Welfare Organization (AIACA),  accredits genuine Indian handicrafts, encourages fair trade standards across the sector and supports new product development working with both grass root artisans and new designers, among many other activities that support traditional handloom and handicrafts from India.

Given below is just a sample of the treasure that you can find under the Craftmark umbrella..

And did I say 'Just for you' somewhere in the post above?

Yes, I did!

Craftmark has a special offer for the readers of An Indian Summer

Look through their catalogue, and their facebook group
And if any of the products interests you
You can reach out to Sharmila
[s.wood (at) aiacaonline.org]
For sales queries!

[Note: Some of the products may be subject to minimum order quantities] 

[All images: Craftmark]